The National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Board has set a four-pronged strategy to transform the country into an intelligent nation, with a focus on digital sovereignty, AI governance, skilled talent and the creation of a globally competitive domestic AI industry.
The strategy was endorsed on Monday at the first meeting this year of the panel tasked with driving Thailand’s National AI Action Plan until 2032, chaired by Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob.
The committee set the strategic direction for Thailand’s AI development, with a goal of positioning Thailand as a sustainable AI innovation nation.
The national AI action plan is designed to integrate government and private-sector efforts to build a sustainable AI structure, while strengthening the country’s digital sovereignty and accelerating economic growth.
FOUR PILLARS
The strategy consists of four pillars, starting with infrastructure to build the foundations needed to support advanced AI development and large-scale adoption.
Major initiatives include the development of a national AI cloud system and AI inference services, an upgrade of the LANTA II supercomputer, and the establishment of a national AI data bank.
The government expects the infrastructure to provide domestic developers, researchers and businesses with greater access to computing resources and high-quality data, while reducing dependence on overseas AI infrastructure.
The second pillar is trust, with the government seeking to establish a regulatory and governance framework that can encourage AI adoption without compromising safety, ethics or public confidence.
The development of an AI governance sandbox is expected to provide a controlled environment for organisations to test AI applications and governance approaches, while ensuring compliance with international standards.
The committee said trust and responsible AI deployment are critical to encouraging wider adoption across both the public and private sectors.
The third pillar is human capital, aiming to equip Thailand’s workforce with the skills required for an increasingly AI-driven economy. The plan includes programmes to develop a high-performance workforce, while promoting the use of AI in education and strengthening digital and AI literacy among the general population.
The government wants AI skills development to extend beyond specialists and technology workers, with people at all levels expected to gain sufficient knowledge to use AI safely and productively.
The fourth pillar is value creation, with an emphasis on turning AI technology into economic value and building a domestic AI industry. The government plans to support Thai AI companies in scaling up and competing internationally, while attracting strategic investment focused on developing new innovations.
The approach is intended to help businesses in different sectors turn demand for AI solutions into commercially viable products and services, rather than relying primarily on imported technologies.
The committee acknowledged the status of AI development in Thailand and approved the establishment of a subcommittee and 12 working groups to accelerate AI adoption across priority areas. The working groups cover: the AI system structure; education and workforce development; AI applications in government; trusted and responsible AI; large language models; AI product testing, evaluation and benchmarking; manufacturing; healthcare and well-being; tourism; creative industries; security and safety; and finance, banking and capital markets.
Mr Chaichanok said AI development is not solely a government responsibility, as the private sector and the public will play an important role in determining the country’s future.